Isaac was smirking as if he didn't know anything.
It was the leeway of the one who had a weak point.
I glared sharply at him.
"Why did you bring Chloe here?"
"Why? Chloe missed you terribly. By the way, today is Chloe's birthday, isn't it? Just in time, you held a banquet. I gave her what she would be most pleased with. Wouldn't she like to attend her sister's banquet on her birthday?"
"You know it's not a good place for her."
"If she goes around ofter, she'll get along. How nice it would be to make connections and find a husband in a place like this. I'm afraid others can't attend."
At first, Isaac spoke as if it were pure goodwill, but then he showed his true colors.
"And I'm getting invited to social gatherings now. If I take Chloe out there, she'll be able to find a good groom."
I was stunned.
"What did you deal with Josh?"
"What's the deal. Between families."
Isaac smirked.
Getting a girl of marriageable age to attend social gatherings was quite expensive.
To be seen by a good and wealthy groom, you have to look similar.
Socialite parents with daughters, often overage, invested heavily in their daughters' adornment to elevate their daughters' status and benefit the whole family.
Dresses and jewelry, handbags, shoes, etiquette teachers, dance teachers...
Once you start spending money on such things, there is no limit.
Some have squandered their entire fortunes just for the sake of their daughter's marriage.
If the investment succeeds, it is a good thing, but if it fails, it is a disaster.
That's where Josh got in.
The money, of course, would have come from Isaac.
It was clear from the look on Isaac's face who had seduced Josh.
'Josh. You should have sold me.'
I was disillusioned.
The resentment that had been buried deep in my heart welled up.
I was usually calm, but this time I couldn't keep up.
All the things Josh had done to me flashed through my mind.
In my last life, he drove me to madness for his own greed, which ultimately led to my death.
The reason I cut ties with Josh was so that it wouldn't happen again.
He knew that if I became Julian's mistress, Josh would not be afraid that the money would run out.
I'm glad I just snooped.
I'm sure he sold me and had an accident in an unknown place.
So I drew a line at him, hoping that nothing was expected of me.
'I thought you understood.'
He must have understood it at all.
So Chloe, who was still young and didn't know anything, would have been sent here.
It shouldn't have been a nice word.
I realized too much of myself.
In the family, I have always been in a role of sacrifice and obedience.
It was the first time I'd even been so defiant and cruel to Josh, so I thought I had acted strong enough.
I cried a lot that day, and I was in agony.
Once there was inertia in the relationship, it wasn't easy to break it.
I had done my best.
Josh lightly ignored the effort.
"I tell you, Josh can't pay you back. You know that, right? I've cut ties with Josh. Don't even think about opening your hands to me."
"Don't be so cruel, Bridget. I'm not going to ask you for money. I can't afford to do this to my sister-in-law."
Isaac urged me.
"I just want to have insurance. Think about it, the balance between us is broken, right? That's how you got your wings."
He pointed to my beautiful dress and the jewelry Julian had gifted me.
"Now you can fly by my side at any time. But I need you. If you don't leave me, I'll do whatever your family wants."
He was going to shackle my family.
I suppressed my anger.
"Take Chloe and leave at once. I got the wrong day today."
"Good. If Chloe listens to me."
Isaac shrugged and walked out of the powder room.
But Chloe was there.
She had overheard our conversation.
"Chloe."
Chloe looked at me dissatisfiedly.
"Aren't you glad I'm here? It's been a long time since we've seen each other. It's even my birthday."
"Chloe, go back with Isaac."
"I hate it! Look at this dress, I've never worn anything like this before. How was I looking forward to today."
Chloe had tears in her eyes.
"Josh told me you had changed, but I didn't believe him. I've always been on your side. I didn't believe you would abandon our family. I thought you'd be happy to see..."
"Chloe. If Josh really thought so, he wouldn't sent you here. You're being taken advantage of by Josh."
"Don't lie! You're doing this for money! I've heard it all!"
"Please, don't listen to it and do this."
"Don't make a fool of me, if it's money, I'll find a good groom and pay it back. I won't open my hands to my sister! I'm tired of poverty now. My brother-in-law wants to give me a good chance, so why do you want to take my chance? My sister has it all, but you don't want me to be as good as a younger sister? Josh is right! You're changed!"
Chloe went downstairs in tears.
I pressed my forehead.
Chloe's voice reached the ballroom on the first floor.
They couldn't hear the conversation, but they could tell there was a commotion.
Even the girl who jumped down crying.
Family strife was evident.
Isaac clicked his tongue.
"You can't make such a fuss. Yes, Chloe doesn't seem to be in the mood for a party, so I'll go find her."
Then he walked away.
I knew that the people in the banquet hall would be curious about what was going on above, but I couldn't control my emotions.
My stomach rumbled.
I felt like I was going to cry.
It was heartbreaking to see how cleverly Josh was using Chloe.
I don't have enough confidence to put that little girl on the scales and calculate the price.
Hell.
How foolish you are to get into trouble yourself in the face of such a shallow number of Isaacs.
Josh couldn't stand that I was going to cut off the kite, but somehow he was trying to put a burden on my shoulder.
It was always, always my family that brome me down.
'Today is an important day. Focus on your plan.'
I took a deep breath and tried to control my emotions.
My heart was beating so fast and my vision was dizzy.
The moment I forced myself to take a step, I felt like the ground was giving way.
"Mrs. Winston!"
That's when someone grabbed me.
"Sir Eric?"
"My mother told me to look for you. Are you alright?"
It was evident that Millea, concerned about my prolonged absence, had sent her son.
'She said that Eric was going to the banquet too.'
Eric helped me into the powder room
"I need to get out."
There's no rush. The party has only just begun, and we have a lot of room for it."
That soothed my impatience.
"Take a breath. People are going to wait."
It was strange.
Why does this man look at me with such a worried face?
His warm voice brought tears to my eyes.
"Everybody gets upset about their family sometimes."
Eric heard Chloe screaming and put his arm around my shoulder as if he understood how I felt.
I had felt this warmth before.
When I was upset and hid in a corner, my late father soothed me like this.
"My good daughter, I know you're upset about Josh and Chloe."
I was overcome with emotion and burst into tears.
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